afghan in cotton?

[NeedSleep]

I'm wanting to start a new afghan soon, but having a really hard time choosing yarn. I want 16 different colors and it's hard finding just the right shades. I found a cotton yarn that has the right colors, but wouldn't cotton be HEAVY, yet not really warm enough?

[CrochettingMama]

Cotton makes wonderful afghans!! I use two strands often and they are not too heavy and they are warm!

[nana5boys]

I have alot of friends who are pregnant and alot of there items in gift registery are "organic fibered items"(ex. blankets, sheets) and i've seen organic cotton yarn.

what i was wondering what is the shrinkage when you wash it? does anyone know that?

 

jaye

[CrochettingMama]

There actually isn't a whole lot of shrinkage I have found!

I have some organic/natural cotton from Joann's and I like it!

[MaryPat]

I'm wanting to start a new afghan soon, but having a really hard time choosing yarn. I want 16 different colors and it's hard finding just the right shades. I found a cotton yarn that has the right colors, but wouldn't cotton be HEAVY, yet not really warm enough?

 

Depends on the cotton. I made a sweater once out of fingering weight cotton using a basketweave stitch. It weighed a ton. Donated it to GoodWill and several months later I saw a woman wearing it in the grocery store. I had not used a pattern, so I was positive it was my creation.

 

Two years ago, I made an afghan out of double strands of floss -- the floss seems to be made with a loose twist and was quite shiny. Even with 2 strands, it didn't seem heavy. I outlined each block with a neutral cotton single strand. That seemed heavier. Overall, I think of it as a display afghan; just doesn't seem light enough to use as a covering. I chose the DMC floss because I wanted to create a rainbow effect by gradually shading the ROYGBV rainbow colors. First motif is two strands of red; the adjacent motif is 1 strand red, 1 strand orange; the next, 2 strands orange; the next, 1 strand orange and 1 strand yellow...etc...You can see the individual motifs here just before joining.

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4250960&a=31466836&p=73198897

 

If you do use cotton, I'd go with cotton that isn't twisted as tightly so it's not as dense and use a more open stitch. I made a baby afghan out of WW cotton using a large tunisian hook. The resulting blanket was light and the afghan stitch gave it a flatter look. I edged it with cotton thread. This turned out to be light and warm.

[MaryPat]

I have alot of friends who are pregnant and alot of there items in gift registery are "organic fibered items"(ex. blankets, sheets) and i've seen organic cotton yarn.

what i was wondering what is the shrinkage when you wash it? does anyone know that?

 

jaye

 

There isn't a standard shrinkage factor. Some cottons don't shrink at all (most doily cottons don't shrink). To test shrinkage, the safest thing to do is create a test swatch and then wash and dry it.

[CLLinda]

Cotton is a wonderful yarn to work with.

 

If you check out the new "Crafts and Things" Magazine, there is a wonderful granny type afghan that is made out of Aunt Lydia's Creme de la creme. The pattern is called "Crazy Quilt". It's a cotton yarn and comes in 37 colors. There are solids as well as varigated in this yarn.

 

I hope this may help you picking out a cotton yarn to use.

 

Good luck.

 

[Tampa Doll]

Cotton is great to work with. If it is 4ply or ww you only need one strand and truthfully it is a little lighter than Red Heart.

It is easy to take care of and wonderfully warm.

[NeedSleep]

Thanks everyone. I ordered a few balls of Karabella Zodiac to swatch with. I looove the colors and want to make a hex blanket with them. We'll see how I like them, I'm a little worried about it beign to shiney as it's mercerized.

[MaryPat]

Thanks everyone. I ordered a few balls of Karabella Zodiac to swatch with. I looove the colors and want to make a hex blanket with them. We'll see how I like them, I'm a little worried about it beign to shiney as it's mercerized.

 

Hope you use a pattern where the mercerized look is an enhancement.

[purlwise]

Hold on! Depending on the cotton yarn you use the afghan could be to heavy to pull over you!!!! Look at the weight of the yarn the pattern calls for and compare that to the same amount of cotten yarn that you want to use, if it is the same, go for it, if not I wouldn't use it. I would suggest a light weight cotton/acrylic, you get the cotton feel but the durability of the acrylic. A wonderful worsted weight (4) cotton/acrylic is TLC's cotton plus, and it comes in great colors. There have been several afghans shown in recent (2007) issues that used this yarn for afghans and they were pretty.

 

Just thought I would throw that in, I've been on the WRONG side of a cotton garment that weighed a ton and could not be comfortably worn!

[pinkroses]

I am making a afgan in TLC Cotton Plus yarn

It is so soft and cosy and it isn't heavy.

I am also making a sweater from it.

I love working with this yarn

It is so soft , and you can wash it and dry it.

[NeedSleep]

I don't much about yarn weights What do you think:

 

http://yarndex.com/yarn.cfm?yarn_id=1459

 

For a hexagon blanket